Thursday, December 11, 2008

Important Life Skills to Teach our Kids


Life skills cannot be learned overnight, or even a year. These are life's essentials that we can teach our kids through experience, and as they grow each given day. As parents, we have to take advantage of learning opportunities through small moments and things.

According to Christine Field's book - Life Skills for Kids: Equipping Your Child for the Real World, here are the life skills that our tots need to learn:


DOING HOUSEHOLD CHORES
Key Lessons: ability to assume responsibility, coping/self management skills
  • don't simply tell them to clean their room, demonstrate them how to do it.
  • provide them with labeled or color coded storage bins so packing away and organizing toys can be made easy.
  • teaching kids to help with household isn't just about getting chores done but serves the greater purpose of letting them take charge, allowing them to feel that they contribute significantly to the household, and teaching them about responsibility along the way.

HANDLING PLAYTIME SQUABBLES
Key Lessons: communication, interpersonal relations, negotiating and refusal skills, empathy building

If you see your kids fighting over a toy, stand back. Reserve your mediating prowess and let them try to work things out on their own first. however, observing them to become too hostile or physical towards each other, means time to intervene and ask them to explain what the quarrel is all about ONE AT A TIME so that they'll see the effectiveness of taking one's turn and hearing the other person out.

PARTICIPATING IN GROUP PROJECTS
Key Lessons: cooperation, teamwork, communication, interpersonal skills
  • propose a family project to give your kids the opportunity to see home teamwork, cooperation, and harmony in diverse skills are needed to meet a common goal. For example, ask them to work on a family scrapbook and let them delegate tasks among themselves.
  • Acknowledge your kids with their participation and encourage them as well of ways to be pro-active.

SELF CARE
Key Lessons: coping/self management skills, ability to take on responsibility
  • teach them the importance of taking a bath, brushing their teeth, clipping their nails and cleaning their ears - especially on their own. Discuss the consequences of skipping these routines.
  • show them how to prepare simple snacks like sandwich or make themselves a glass of juice. Then, show them how to clean up after themselves when they have finished eating: putting back the bread in the bread basket, bringing the used dishes to the sink.

MAKING CHOICES

Key Lessons: decision making, critical thinking skills
  • brainstorm pros and cons with them in every possible situation and explain the consequences of their choices so they can reach a sound decision.
  • parents can ask questions that prompt their kids to think and decide autonomously. (Would you like to help mommy set the table or water the plants with daddy?)

BEING THE HANDY TYKE
Key Lessons: problem solving
  • showing your kids how to do some handy works teaches them that they can fix things on their own. Basic problem-solving skills are instilled as kids eventually learn to evaluate consequences of present actions and determine alternative solutions to the problem.
  • kids may be too young to handle basic carpentry or garden tools, but by showing them that you are willing to do some gardening or simple carpentry, you are already inspiring them to want to someday be the family "handy hyke", who can sew their own buttons, glue together broken robot parts, or do routine maintenance on their bicycle.

HOLDING THE PURSE STRINGS
Key Lessons: critical thinking, coping/self management skills
  • with proper guidance, kids learn to work out a budget, plan for savings, or stay out of debt by buying within their means.
  • give them little allowances and allow them to decide how to spend it.
  • when kids are empowered, it encourages a can-do attitude, which makes them strive to do things better.

MANAGING THEIR TIME AND SPACE
Key Lessons: coping/self management skills, stress management
  • educate your kids on how to use clocks and calendars, and how the changes in season affect everyday living can help them value time.
  • draw up daily schedule with your kids where they can clearly see how a day is broken down into hours. Ask them which activity should be done first, next, and last -- this serves as their first brush with the concept of prioritizing.

Friday, December 05, 2008

Raising Money-Smart Kids

In order for kids to develop wise spending habits and to know the value of a day's wage later on as adults, it is important to teach them at an early age. Parents can start explaining money matters to their kids as soon as the little ones are able to speak.

So how can we teach and actually help them to be money-wise kids? Here are some tricks that I have read in Imelda Aznar's article "Money Smart Kids"


TEACH THEM TO SAVE ON ALL RESOURCES, NOT JUST MONEY.
Constant reminders to our kids to conserve water or to save electricity would impress upon them that saving on these things will also help mom and dad to save money for the household.

ESTABLISH A PESO-TO-PESO SAVINGS PROGRAM.
Match your child's savings for peso (or 50 centavos for every peso saved). It doesn't only help your child's savings to grow quickly, it's also a powerful incentive to encourage them to save regularly.

SET UP FAMILY PIGGY BANK.
Have a goal and save it as a family - say, a summer trip to the beach.

WHEN GIVING THEM MONEY, GIVE IT IN DENOMINATIONS THAT ENCOURAGE SAVING.
For example, if you are giving them P100, give 5 P20 bills and encourage them to save at least P20

DISSUADE THEM FROM BORROWING MONEY FROM FRIENDS.
Teach them instead to buy only the necessary things. If they are old enough to understand the concept of paying interest, charge interest on small loans you give them so they can quickly learn how expensive it is to "rent" someone else's money.

USE BOOKS, GAMES, AND MUSIC.
These are products in the market today that teach little children about money and saving. Such books include as Lucky The Golden Goose by John Wren or Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens. There are also board games, like Junior Monopoly, Moneywise Kids, Payday and the Allowance Game, and simulation toys like cash registers and ATM machines.

ENCOURAGE THEM TO GIVE TO CHARITY.
Teach your kids to set aside a portion of their money for charity. It's a great way to teach them about sharing and compassion towards others.

KEEP A MONEY JOURNAL.
You can encourage your kids to keep a journal that features all her goals (with pictures), savings plan, or expense summary.

Important Life Skills to Teach our Kids

Life skills cannot be learned overnight, or even a year. These are life's essentials that we can teach our kids through experience, and...